Chapter Four

The following Monday, Jeddite was about to finish work on another monster in his new Jerusalem base of operations. He soon stored it in a cube similar to the one that Morga had been in before she'd been released to gather energy, in fact. After doing so well enough to suit himself well enough, he donned his Arabic-style outfit again, hiding this cube in them like he'd hidden Morga's cube in them earlier.

He eventually left The Dome of the Rock again, in full Arabic disguise, for his next chosen place to try to wreak havoc anywhere at all elsewhere in the Jerusalem area. He chose to hail a taxicab not too long after doing so. Jeddite soon asked the Israelite Arab then behind the taxicab's steering wheel to drive him to a video/book/music store elsewhere in the city. It was just after 4:50 pm local time by the time they got there, due to some unexpected delay caused by a multi-car accident on the way there. After which Jeddite paid the driver the appropriate fare for his trip there, plus a bit of a tip, of course.

Jeddite paid the needed driver for the ride, as necessary. And he soon left the cube near a door to a storage room elsewhere in that store, before suddenly slipping out of the store in a crowd of people that were congregating there now. He then walked about two blocks or so away, at least, to the north, from that same store, before pressing a button to release that monster, just as he'd done with Morga, from their cube.

Soon after he did so, the monster invisibly left their cube, and took control of a sales clerk there, as they were heading for the storage room. The clerk didn't give up control of their body easily enough to allow the still-invisible monster to control them at least until they were behind that room's closed door for a long enough time. But the still-invisible monster still eventually gained control of that clerk, and prepared to wreak havoc, once they left the storage room behind again, of course.

Meanwhile, Sylvia was then with several other people and horses, at Serenade's stable. Including, in fact, Liz, Sonja, and Ashley. Sonja was an Austrian girl from the Salzburg area, while Ashley was currently from the Hartford area of Connecticut in the United States. Both their families were associated with the Jerusalem-area Embassies of their respective nations. However, their fathers weren't quite as high-ranking in their nation's respective diplomatic corps as Elizabeth's father was for the United Kingdom's, by the way.

As for the Leila that Sylvia had mentioned earlier to Liz, she was the daughter of two archeologists. One an Israelite, and one an Ethiopian. Her father was the Ethiopian, while her mother was a native of the Israelite city of Nazareth. They'd met while in college overseas in Japan, of all places. Little did Leila or anyone else in Sylvia's life yet know that they were most likely distantly related to at least one of Sylvia's possible future opponents as a Scout. Including, Sylvia, of course. If they'd ever know that, by the way.

All of a sudden, as Sylvia was brushing Serenade with a grooming brush on his sides, where needed, Serenade tensed. As soon as Sylvia realized that well enough, she said, "Liz, go tell Mr. Sherman that Moonlight Serenade and I are going for a ride right now, please."

"Why?"

"I really don't have time to explain right now, if I ever will, Elizabeth. Just do it as soon as you can, please."

"Where are you going, then?"

"I really don't know. I just know that we both have to go for a ride right now. I'll see you later, if I can, Liz and all." She then handed the grooming brush to the nearby Sonja, just before swinging suddenly up onto Moonlight Serenade's back here, in fact

Five minutes later, they were off the stable complex's grounds at full speed, heading off toward wherever Moonlight Serenade was now going here. They both left them without another word being exchanged between Sylvia and her friends. And they both left them even with the grounds' main gates closed, in fact, for he leapt suddenly over them as he needed to, under her control, if necessary.

Through the nearby streets, they went, just as quickly and as safely as possible, of course. When he finally felt it was safe enough to speak to her, he said, "It seems we have a new monster to fight, Sylvia. I'm getting an impression in the direction of a video/book/music store elsewhere in the city. It seems another monster has appeared there, and is beginning to try to wreak havoc there as much as it can."

For a little while longer, at least, they continued heading toward that store as best as they could do so at the current time. In time, however, she had to dismount from his back, for the obvious reasons. After she did, she soon found a deserted alley near the store in question. While there, she also found a sword, a scabbard, and a shield in or near a few garbage cans in it. After transforming when it was as safe as possible for her here at the current time, she picked up that sword, that scabbard, and that shield. And Skyhorse then set off for the necessary store in the immediate area.

Two minutes later, at most, she was there, and just inside its main entrance. The monster was currently working on draining energy from assorted customers and store personnel when she entered. Skyhorse asked, "Who are you, demon?"

"I am Pallia, and who are you?"

"I am Sailor Skyhorse, servant of the One True God. You have decided to wreak havoc in a place where people can come to purchase various entertainment-related media, and for this, you shall not be forgiven! I stand as Sailor Skyhorse against all who seek to do evil in His Universe. Leave now, or suffer the justified consequences of your actions, evil being that you are! This is your last warning!"

Pallia was a monster with video cameras for her eyes, stereo speakers for her ears, clothes that apparently looked like various printed materials, computer cables for most, if not all, of her fingers and toes, and assorted other items of various kinds for the rest of her. Her mouth was like a shredder, at least for the most part, if not entirely, for example.

"Serve us in the Negaverse, or face the consequences, Sailor Skyhorse."

"Not likely! I shall never serve your evil Queens or their false god Satan!"

For a while, then, the two of them fought as the need or desire arose for them here. Several times, Pallia tried to bind Skyhorse with several computer cables, even ones that weren't actually part of her person. But Skyhorse was able to keep her from doing that with some well-placed strokes of her sword. And some well-met blocks she put up with her shield, for that matter.

Eventually, Pallia attempted to gain an advantage over Skyhorse by trying to get assorted people in the store to trap her in a corner of it to at least some degree. But Skyhorse was somehow able to keep them from trapping her well enough. Especially when Pilgrim tossed a few pen-like and quill-like items between her and them, in fact.

When he did so, everyone in the store who was trying to trap her in it stopped doing what they were then trying to do in it, in order to try to find out where his projectiles had come from in it. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.

The Pilgrim appeared on top of an otherwise-empty shelf elsewhere in the store, after a bit of fog then around him dissipated well enough to allow everyone in the store to see him here. He was sitting on that shelf with legs hanging over the edge where needed here, when he appeared to everyone else in the store. As before, he was wearing the same outfit he'd been wearing during his previous appearance as Pilgrim. He quickly surveyed the situation, and then said, "The Pilgrim seeks the true lights of the world, and many, if not all, of the people who provide the assorted media in this store may very be among them. The Pilgrim will not allow any such light or lights to be snuffed out if he can possibly avoid it at all while he still lives. Cease and desist, you evil demon who now seeks to wreak havoc in this store, and return from whence you came, or you shall most certainly die!"

Several cables and assorted other things came toward him at that time, no thanks to assorted people in the store, including Pallia, of course. But he dodged them by jumping off the applicable shelf and running as needed in the store until he was able to withdraw several scrolls from an interior pocket of his tuxedo. He threw them as he saw fit, and a fog larger than the one that he'd earlier emerged from soon shrouded him, and broke Pallia's control over everyone else who was then unwillingly helping her against Skyhorse. Only Pallia remained sufficiently able to stand up after he'd thrown his scrolls as needed here, for the obvious reasons.

After that happened, Pilgrim said, "Skyhorse, you should be able to take care of the rest of this battle now. Do your righteous duty, and destroy this demon for the glory of God above! She will not survive, once you do so!" Pallia began trying to find a way out of her current situation, seeing that all her unwilling assistants had just been put into unconsciousness, and that the energies she and they had just been gathering for the Negaverse were starting to return to their respective owners. She did this after Pilgrim said that, by the way. After he said that, Skyhorse's sword began glowing with a rather bright light, in fact. As it did, he left, stepping carefully over assorted people as he did so.

Five minutes or so, at most, later, after a bit of a sword duel between Skyhorse and Pallia, Pallia had been permanently evicted from her host body, and destroyed just as Morga had been, by Skyhorse. As had happened before with Morga, against Skyhorse, she was evicted and destroyed in the same manner or manners that Morga was. And the applicable host body was completely restored under Skyhorse's blade as necessary.

When Pallia was destroyed, Jeddite's current ball of energy disappeared just like his previous energy ball had. Obviously, that made him quite upset again, of course, and he again vowed to find out who was ruining his plans for energy-gathering, if and whenever possible. He soon set off again for his base of operations, in order to begin his work on creating and preparing another monster for action here, for the obvious reasons.

Not too much later, then, Skyhorse slipped out of the store as well, found a safe enough place to power down, and did so. She powered down, after putting the sword, scabbard, and shield in a subspace pocket of sorts that she'd just discovered during her battle with Pallia. And she soon went in search of Serenade again. Sylvia found him about ten minutes after she powered down, and he was drinking from a fountain in a nearby city park when she did so. It was just after 6:15 pm local time when she found him again, in fact.

She soon mounted him again as needed, and they eventually returned to the stable complex they'd been at with Liz, Sonja, and Ashley earlier. As they did so, they discussed the just-ended battle that Skyhorse had fought against Pallia if and whenever possible. When she told him she'd discovered a subspace pocket of sorts for herself during the battle, he was quite surprised, in fact. For he'd not expected her to have one at all, or at least not for some time, in actual reality.

"Perhaps now you'll be able to store things in it quite often, Sylvia, so that you'll have easier access to them in the future, if and whenever needed."

"You think so?"

"It seems to me that the Scouts of the past normally had a subspace pocket of sorts they could access periodically if and whenever needed or desired, Sylvia. I believe you had one as well then, when you were a Scout long ago."

"I see. And was I Sailor Skyhorse then as well?"

"I believe that you were. But you weren't actually the original Sailor Skyhorse, if my memory serves me accurately enough here. I think there was at least one previous Sailor Skyhorse before you for the Sailor Scouts. But I can't be all that sure about that here, for it's been so long since we were familiar enough with each other in our lives, I know."

"There is a lot I'm not understanding here, Serenade."

"The same thing is true for me. There's a lot I don't understand about in my life as well, in fact, Sylvia. Perhaps in time, we'll better understand why we are now as we are. Supposing that we live long enough to do so here, of course."

For most, if not all, of the rest of the ride back to the applicable stable complex, then, they both remained rather silent. If and whenever they could be, of course. Eventually, they were back there, and Moonlight Serenade had leapt the main gates just as he'd done earlier with Sylvia then on his back. Liz, Sonja, and Ashley were each sitting on hay bales when they returned to where Sylvia had been grooming Serenade before his sudden tensing earlier, for that matter.

As she rode up on Serenade's back, Liz asked Sylvia, "Where did you go?"

"Elsewhere in town. He brought me near where Skyhorse and some guy fought another monster in a video/book/music store, in fact, Liz."

"Who won?" asked Sonja.

"Skyhorse and the guy who helped her won. They took care of the monster reasonably well. That monster won't be bothering anyone else again, in fact, Sonja." Sylvia dismounted from Serenade's back, and began walking him to his stall, in very short order.

"I see. Do you have any ideas about the guy who helped Skyhorse fight that monster? I mean, do you have any ideas about who he might actually be in real life?" asked Ashley, as she, Liz, and Sonja began following Sylvia and Serenade to his stall.

"No, I don't, Ash. And I wish I did. He seemed to help her out at least somewhat, if not a lot, in fact," said Sylvia. Moments later, she began attending to Serenade as needed here, with some help from the other girls, if and wherever necessary or desired.

Whether that was in terms of getting water for him, food for him, or helping out with preparing his stall for him to sleep in, they did so, if and wherever needed or desired. And they often talked with each other as they so chose to here, for that matter. It took about thirty minutes or so for them all to finish taking care of Serenade as needed or desired by working together at the present time.

When they were done doing so, they soon went to the same part of the stable complex that Sylvia had gone to on the previous night, and took care of themselves as needed or desired. By the time they were done doing so, it was now just about 8:30 pm local time. Soon after that, Sonja drove off in a mostly silver Ferrari, leaving Ashley and Liz alone with Sylvia.

They stayed on the stable complex for a while longer, before eventually deciding to return to their respective homes in the local area. When they did so, they soon piled into Sylvia's van, and she brought Ashley and Liz back to their respective residences there. Sylvia first dropped Ashley off at her house, then did the same for Liz. After that, Sylvia went driving around the city for a while longer. She eventually stopped at a restaurant near her family's residence, and picked up some pizzas for herself and others from there. As well as a few other things that'd often come with said pizzas, for that matter.

She eventually got home around 10 pm or so local time. Sylvia put some of the pizza and related items in the Wakefields' kitchen, and took the rest of those things to her room to have for herself before she went to bed. After she went to her room for the rest of the night, she soon worked on her homework for about an hour or so as needed. Once she'd done it for a long enough time as necessary, she set her books aside, and prepared her clothes for the following day of school. Which, in this particular case, included one of her school uniforms, of course. After she prepared her required clothes well enough for the following day of school, she changed into some suitable sleepwear, and got into her bed. She read a fantasy-style book and wrote in her journal for a while as she then lay on her back in her bed. Eventually, however, she felt much too tired to do either thing or both things any longer at the current time. So she put her books back where needed here, and turned out her light, in rather short order. Not much longer, then, she was quite soundly asleep again, and lost in dreams again. Lost in dreams of assorted people and places, whether they were actually from the past or not, in fact.

The following day, Rolando arrived at school just before Sylvia did. He eventually found James near the school's main entrance. When he did, James said, "Skyhorse and Pilgrim appeared again last night, it seems."

"Oh, is that so, Mr. Selannis?" asked Rolando of James, in a somewhat curious manner.

"Yes, it seems they opposed another monster at a video/book/music store. It seemed to be of the same kind that appeared at a mall around here earlier, in fact, from what I've heard so far about both monsters."

They conversed for a little while longer about the battle of the previous night, as much as they then could, before they had to go to their first classes of the school day. Rolando went to a mathematics-related class, while James went to a science-related class. They didn't have all their classes with each other on a typical school day, in fact. But they did have at least one or two of them together, just the same.

Among the classmates he had in that class were people like Kiena Jacano, for example. Little did anyone at all yet know that Kiena, among others, would be part of Skyhorse's Scout team in the future, if at all. But that was yet to be found out by the required people, when the proper time arose for her to become part of it.

Miss Kiena Jacano was not only Mr. Sherman's niece, she was also a girl with mostly red shoulder-length hair normally worn in a somewhat simple style. She was about 5'2" and 110 pounds now. Kiena also had a few purple streaks in her hair, which had appeared a few years before, around the time that she turned 12 years old. They had appeared gradually since that time, and more were appearing as time passed for her in her life. However, they'd not come to dominate her head of hair, in any case at all, as time would eventually come to prove. Why she had some purple streaks in her head now wasn't known well enough yet, if it ever would be. But perhaps someday that'd eventually change for her and others in her life.

Kiena also had round moderately-set green eyes. Her eyes were bright green normally. However, if and whenever she was upset, for example, at someone or something, they had often been known to darken to at least some degree, if not to a great degree.

Kiena was the first daughter and child to her parents Isaac and Anna Jacano. Her siblings were her brother Seth and sister Leah, with Seth being about thirteen and Leah being about nine now. She herself was now sixteen years or so, having had her latest birthday in March. She was born on or near the first day of the Northern Hemisphere's season of spring the year she'd been born, in fact. And ever since, she'd spent most, if not all, of her life in Jerusalem and its surrounding area.

In the past, she had never before been a Sailor Scout. But in the not-too-distant future, she eventually would have to become one. For she would find herself having to fight alongside Skyhorse as one against many other monsters or sentient beings from assorted evil groups in the Universe. Including, in fact, from the Negaverse, for that matter.

One of her best subjects in school at DBJHS was Geometry, but it wasn't necessarily her favorite school subject. Her favorite school subject was a music-related class, in fact. She was currently part of the school's band as a cello player. But her favorite musical instrument was the piano. Which was also her best musical instrument, for that matter.

She actually had preferred to play the piano for the band during the current school year, but hadn't been able to win such a spot in the band this time around. Her auditions for seats in the band won her a cellist seat in it, not a pianist seat, much to her dismay. But she still graciously accepted her assigned seat in the band, and vowed to herself to do what she could in order to earn her desired seat for her senior year at DBJHS, if at all possible.

Once she became a Scout, that might prove harder to do for her. Especially if her Scout duties took a lot of time away from her in her life, of course. At least in terms of when she could practice her musical talents, if nothing else at all, in it, anyway.

When Kiena saw Rolando, she asked, "How are you today, Rolando? You seem a bit out of it today, from what I can currently tell here."

"I didn't sleep well again, Kiena. I had some unexpected dreams again last night, in fact."

"I see. And were they pleasant, if I may ask you this here?"

"Not entirely. I don't know why, but they just weren't entirely that way, for some reason."

"Care to tell me about them later, perhaps?"

"No, I don't think so. At least not right now, anyway, Kiena."

They periodically conversed with each other during the class, if and whenever possible, once they were able to do so well enough in it. But not until after their teacher had finished her lecture and given the class another assignment were they able to do so at considerable enough length, by the way.

About halfway through the period, they and a few other people pushed their desks together a bit, and got to talking with each other. Soon enough, the two recent battles that Skyhorse and Pilgrim had participated in came up in their discussions here. Kiena said, "I don't think that this Skyhorse is an extra-terrestrial alien, Joelle and Naomi. I think she's actually a Terran, for some reason. And the Pilgrim doesn't seem to be an alien either. Though I have to admit that his outfit is somewhat weird, as far as I might put it well enough here."

"How so?" asked Rolando.

"Well, I don't think a tuxedo is standard combat wear for a typical superhero, Rolando. I mean, if you look at most superheroes, don't you think it would be rather weird for them to fight bad guys while in tuxedos? Batman, for example, doesn't fight in a tuxedo, does he?"

"No, I suppose not, Kiena. But what if a superhero chooses to fight in one, just the same?"

"Then it would be quite unusual, I think. I mean, there can't be much protection for a superhero in such an outfit, I think. At least not as far as I can tell, anyway. How much protection can there really be in such an outfit for a potential superhero?"

"Who knows, Kiena? I don't really know who this Pilgrim is yet, anyway, if I ever will."

For a while longer, then, until just before the end of the current period, Kiena, Joelle, Naomi and Rolando, at least, conversed at some length with each other periodically. Eventually, though, they all pushed their respective desks back to wherever they then belonged in their current classroom, in fact. After the end of the period, Rolando left the classroom with most, if not all, of his classmates in that class, for all the obvious reasons, of course.

Some time later, then, Rolando encountered Sylvia again in the usual part of the school's main building. They met each other in a hall leading to the main cafeteria, in fact, while Liz was walking with Sylvia to there.

"Hello again, Miss Wakefield. The whole school seems to be quite abuzz with the recent events surrounding the appearances of Skyhorse and Pilgrim, don't you think?"

"Yes, it seems so to me as well, Mr. Volois. I wonder how often they'll appear around the area in the future," replied Sylvia, in very short order.

"So do I, Miss Wakefield. So do I."

"Would you care to join us for lunch this afternoon, by any chance?"

"No, I don't think so, Miss Wakefield. My friends seem to want me to eat with them here again, in actual reality. Thank you for the offer, though."

"No big deal, Mr. Volois. If and whenever you might change your mind, the offer will remain open for at least the time being, if not for the rest of the year. Just so you know that here well enough."

"Perhaps someday, I might just take you up on that offer, Miss Wakefield. But just not yet, in fact."

Eventually, they each got their needed food and drink items for themselves, and moved to different tables elsewhere in the cafeteria. But still within reasonably good sight of each other, just in case they might need to communicate with each other somehow during their current lunch period there.

They didn't have that need or desire to do so at the current time, in fact. But they both still stayed within reasonably good sight of each other, just in case they might need or want to do so. In time, of course, they finished their respective lunches at their own tables. And they went to their next classes elsewhere in the school.

Several hours later, they encountered each other again elsewhere in Jerusalem's local area. Most specifically, they encountered each other at the Jerusalem-area library that Rolando would most often visit whenever he wasn't in school. They met again between two long bookcases that were now full of dozens, if not hundreds or thousands, of books, in fact.

Sylvia was looking for some books primarily related to horses, while he was looking for several science-fiction novels of recent publication, when they encountered each other between those two bookcases. She was mainly looking for non-fiction books, specifically related to the care and handling of horses or similar enough animals, when she saw him again there. When he asked her why she was doing that at the present time, she answered, "Because, Mr. Volois, I'm considering the idea of trying to buy at least one horse sometime in the future, if not more than one. Perhaps even in the near future, if at all possible. There is at least one horse I might want to buy, if I'm given the chance to do that well enough in the future. Perhaps even more than one, if and when the chance might ever happen to arise for me to do that here, in fact."

"Are you talking about the horse you rode earlier, whatever their name may be?"

"Yes, I'm talking about Moonlight Serenade. I'd really like to buy him, in fact. But I don't have the money right now to afford him, much less any other horse, I believe."

"I see." They talked with each other for a while longer, even after picking out some books for themselves from assorted shelves in the library. While they did that with each other, they also went to a free table or some chairs there, and read for a while, as they then saw fit.

Rolando soon learned that Sylvia had three siblings, if he didn't already know that, for instance. Which, in fact, he hadn't. At least not in this lifetime, anyway. He learned the names of her siblings were Ulysses, Rebecca, and Martha. And he learned her parents' names were Nigel and Esther, as well.

As for her, she learned that Rolando had two brothers and two sisters. He told her that his siblings' names were Thomas, Bruce, Astrid, and Celeste. And that his parents' names were Morgan and Emily. She smiled when he told her the names of his siblings and parents, in fact.

He eventually asked her, "Do you intend to live in this area for the rest of your life, if at all possible, Miss Wakefield?"

"God willing, of course?"

"Yes, that's what I mean."

"Sure I do. But if I can't do so, then so be it. I'll go wherever He chooses to send me, and however He chooses to send me, if and whenever possible, in my life. No matter where it might be in it, Mr. Volois."

They talked periodically with each other until sometime around 8 or so, when she said, "I'll have to catch you later, Mr. Volois. I just remembered I now have something to do elsewhere in the area. Perhaps we'll see each other at school soon enough."

"Very well, Miss Wakefield. I'll catch you later, then, if at all possible." Not too long after he said these things here, she left him alone again where they'd been in the library. Sylvia went to wherever she then needed to go. And he stayed in the library for quite some length of additional time. He stayed at the library until just after 10 pm local time. After which he eventually returned home to his own family's residence in the Jerusalem area of Israel, of course.

No more than about twenty minutes after getting back home to his family's residence in the Jerusalem area, then, Rolando was in his room either working on his homework or sleeping. If the former was true, he stayed up only until midnight local time. If the latter was true, he was asleep by 11 pm local time. In any case at all, though, he was most certainly quite asleep again in his bed by no later than 12:15 in the morning. And lost in any number of dreams as he slept in his bed, for that matter.